State executive official elections, 2017
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November 7, 2017 |
Eight state executive offices were up for election in 2017, including gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey. Prior to the election, three of these offices were held by Democrats and four were held by Republicans. The remaining position was the nonpartisan position of Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction.
The offices
State executives act in many capacities according to the powers granted to them by their state's constitution. They are also charged with implementing and enforcing laws made by state legislatures. There are 748 executive seats spread across 13 distinct types of offices in the United States.[1] Of the 13 executive offices, only seven exist in all 50 states: governor, attorney general, superintendent of schools, insurance commissioner, agriculture commissioner, labor commissioner and public service commissioner.
Other common offices include lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, controller, auditor and natural resources commissioner.
The governor is the chief executive of a state’s government and other executive offices ordinarily report to him or her. The governor is also the only executive that is elected in all 50 states. Attorneys general, for example, are elected in 43 states but appointed by the governor in seven, while public service commissioners are appointed by the governor in 39 states and elected in 11 states.
Offices up for election
Gubernatorial elections
New Jersey and Virginia held gubernatorial elections in 2017.
New Jersey
In New Jersey, incumbent Gov. Chris Christie (R), who served the maximum of two consecutive terms, was prevented from running for re-election. The primary election was held on June 6, 2017. The Democratic primary was won by former Ambassador to Germany Phil Murphy. Murphy defeated Tenafly Councilman Mark Zinna, former Undersecretary of the U.S. Treasury Jim Johnson, Assemblyman John Wisniewski, state Sen. Ray Lesniak, and activist Bill Brennan. The victor of the Republican primary was Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno. Guadagno defeated Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, businessman Joseph Rudy Rullo, businessman Hirsh Singh, and Nutley Commissioner Steve Rogers. Murphy and Guadagno competed in the November 7, 2017, general election, alongside Green Party nominee Seth Kaper-Dale, Libertarian Party nominee Peter Rohrman, Constitution Party candidate Matt Riccardi, and independent candidates Vincent Ross and Gina Genovese.
At stake was New Jersey's trifecta and triplex status. Heading into the 2017 election, New Jersey had a Republican governor and Democratic majorities in both houses of the state Legislature, meaning the state was under divided government. Phil Murphy's victory in the gubernatorial election led to the creation of a Democratic trifecta, while victory for a non-Democratic candidate would have maintained the state's divided government status. Meanwhile, because the governor has the power to appoint the attorney general and secretary of state, the state's triplex status depends only on the governor's party. Heading into the 2017 election, New Jersey was a Republican triplex. Murphy's victory replaced the Republican triplex with a Democratic triplex.
Virginia
In Virginia, incumbent Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) was prevented from running for re-election. At the time of the 2017 elections, Virginia was the only state to prevent governors from serving consecutive terms. The primary election was held on June 13, 2017. In the Democratic primary, Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam defeated former Rep. Tom Perriello. In the Republican primary, former Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie defeated Prince William County Board of Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart and state Sen. Frank Wagner. Northam and Gillespie competed in the November 7, 2017, general election. The Libertarian Party nominee was attorney Cliff Hyra.
Virginia's trifecta and triplex status was at stake in the election. Heading into the 2017 election, Virginia had a Democratic governor and Republican majorities in both houses of the state Legislature, meaning the state was under divided government. A Republican victory in the gubernatorial election would have created a Republican trifecta, while Northam's victory maintained the state's divided government status. Meanwhile, because the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state were members of the Democratic Party, Virginia was a Democratic triplex. In Virginia, the secretary of state is appointed by the governor, meaning that the state's triplex status was determined by the results of the gubernatorial and attorney general elections. In order to maintain triplex control of the state, Democrats needed to win both elections. Republican victory in both elections would have created a Republican triplex, while a split result would have led to divided triplex control. Since Democrats won both the gubernatorial and attorney general races, they kept triplex control in Virginia.
Lieutenant gubernatorial elections
New Jersey and Virginia held lieutenant gubernatorial elections in 2017.
New Jersey
In New Jersey, the lieutenant gubernatorial race was part of the gubernatorial race. Candidates for Governor of New Jersey were required to choose a running mate no later than 30 days after the official primary election results were certified. The winning gubernatorial candidate's running mate would become Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey.[2] The incumbent, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno (R), ran for governor in 2017, leaving the seat open. Phil Murphy's victory meant that his running mate Sheila Oliver (D) was elected lieutenant governor.
Virginia
In Virginia, the lieutenant gubernatorial race was separate from the gubernatorial race. Incumbent Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam (D) chose not to seek re-election in order to run for governor, leaving the seat open. The primary election was held on June 13, 2017. In the Democratic primary, former prosecutor Justin Fairfax defeated political consultant Susan Platt and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Gene Rossi. In the Republican primary, state Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel defeated state Sen. Bryce Reeves and Del. Glenn Davis. Fairfax and Vogel competed in the November 7, 2017, general election, which was won by Justin Fairfax (D).
Other offices
Four other state executive offices were on the ballot in 2017: Louisiana State Treasurer, Louisiana Public Service Commission, Attorney General of Virginia, and Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Louisiana State Treasurer
In Louisiana's 2016 Senate election then-current treasurer John Neely Kennedy (R) was elected to the U.S. Senate. Louisiana state law calls for a special election to fill the position, which was scheduled for 2017. Louisiana utilizes an open primary system, in which all candidates, regardless of party affiliation, appear on the same ballot in a primary election. If a candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, they win the election outright. Otherwise, the top two candidates advance to a general election. The primary election was held on October 14, 2017. A general election was held on November 18, 2017. Six candidates appeared on the primary ballot: Derrick Edwards (D), Neil Riser (R), John Schroder (R), Angele Davis (R), Terry Hughes (R), and Joseph D. Little (L). Edwards and Schroder advanced to the general election on November 18, where Schroder defeated Edwards to secure election as treasurer.
Louisiana Public Service Commission
On May 23, 2017, Scott Angelle (R) was appointed by President Donald Trump to a federal position, leaving a vacancy on the Louisiana Public Service Commission. A special election was called to fill the position and was scheduled for the same date as the treasurer special election. Louisiana utilizes an open primary system, in which all candidates, regardless of party affiliation, appear on the same ballot in a primary election. If a candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, they win the election outright. Otherwise, the top two candidates advance to a general election. The primary election was held on October 14, 2017. Damon Baldone (R), Lenar Whitney (R), and Craig Greene (R) ran for the seat. Greene won the primary election outright.
Attorney General of Virginia
In Virginia, sitting Attorney General Mark Herring (D) sought re-election. Herring was opposed by attorney John Adams (R). Both candidates were unopposed in the June 13, 2017 primary election. Prior to Herring's 2013 election to the position, the last time a Democrat had been elected Attorney General of Virginia was 1989. The general election was held on November 7, 2017 and was won by Mark Herring (D).
Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction
In Wisconsin, a nonpartisan election was held to select the state superintendent, with incumbent Tony Evers seeking a third four-year term. Wisconsin utilizes an open primary system, in which all candidates appear on the same ballot in a primary election, with the top two candidates advancing to a general election. In the February 21, 2017, primary election, Superintendent Tony Evers and former district superintendent Lowell Holtz advanced, defeating former school administrator John Humphries and high school teacher Rick Melcher. Evers defeated Holtz in the April 4, 2017, general election.
| Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction, General Election, 2017 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
 Tony Evers Incumbent |
70% | 494,846 | |
| Lowell Holtz | 30% | 212,536 | |
| Total Votes | 707,382 | ||
| Source: WisconsinVote.org, "Current election results," accessed April 4, 2017 | |||
By office
Governor
Lieutenant governor
Attorney general
Superintendent of schools
Treasurer
Public Service Commissioner
By state
Louisiana
New Jersey
Virginia
Wisconsin
Recent news
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See also
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2017 elections: |
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Footnotes
- ↑ There are 13 state executive offices as Ballotpedia defines the term, however there are other executive offices in some states that are not covered by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ NJ.com, "Who will be the running mates for N.J. governor candidates Murphy and Guadagno?" June 12, 2017
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